Frank j



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

I'. J. LUDINGTON & H. C. LELAND.

GOMPOSING STICK. No. 399,911. Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

w /f "Il" y I I nmllllluill'- Il (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.Y

I. J. LUDINGTON & H. C. LELAND.

GOMPOSING STIGK.

No. 399,911. Patented Mar.- 19, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. LUDINGTON, OF VATERBURY, AND HENRY C. LELAND, OF NEW' HAVEN, CONNECTICUT; SAID LELAND ASSIGNOR TO SAID LUDINGTON.

COMPOSING-STICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,911, dated March 19, 1889. Application led April 17, 1888. Serial No. 270,889. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK J. LUDINGTON and HENRY C. LELAND, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Vaterbury and New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Composing-Sticks; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descripro tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to printers composing-sticks for holding type during the operation of setting the same; and it consists in the improved construction and arrangement or combination of parts hereinafter fully disclosed in the description, drawings, and claims.

2o The objects of our invention are, first, to provide a composing-stick which is adapted to be secured to any of the ordinary forms of printers cases, and into which type may be placed with both hands and supported in line without requiring any support from the hand, but leaving both hands of the compositor free to pick up and set the type; second, to provide a channel of the requisite length and width for holding one row of type standing 3o therein; third, to provide one end of such channel with a concaved and convergent mouth-piece for the easy guidance and inser` tion of the type into said channel; fourth, to provide a movable follower which is adapt- 3 5 ed to fit in the channel for properlyY supporting the type therein; fifth, to provide said follower with a spring which is adapted to force the type toward a straight or vertical wall at the inner end of the concaved and con- .lo vergent mouth-piece; sixth, to form the channel mainly curvilinear in shape, so as to occupy a comparatively small space and take up less room in front of the compositor than would a straight channel; seventh, to combine with said channel a spring-actuated follower, which is pivoted in the center ot' the circle of which said channel is a part, and provided with a downwardly-bent end fitting in said channel; eighth, to form said typechannel with a straight portion toward its outer end, and with a slot or aperture near the outer end of the inner wall, said slot admitting of the follower being swung out of the way while removing the line of type, and, ninth, to make one wall of the channel adjustable, so as to accommodate type of. various sizes. These objects we accomplish by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which the same reference-nu- 6o merals indicate the same parts.

Figure l represents a top plan view of a portion of a printers case and our composingstick in operative position thereon, and it also shows in dotted lines the follower moved out through the aperture in the type -channel; Fig. 2, a side or edge view of our device, showing the same secured to a portion of the typecase, which is in section; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section through the center of `the 7o mouth-piece; Fig. 4, a transverse vertical section on line @c a' of Fig. l, taken through the follower, its supporting screw or post, and the base-plate; and Fig. 5, a perspective View of the inner wall of the type-channel as viewed from its inner or concaved side.

In the drawings, the numeral l indicates a portion of any ordinary form of printers typecase. The base-plate 2 of the composing-stick is secured to the hanged edge 3 of said case 8o by a screw or screws, 4, inserted through said anged edge, and a flange, 5, at the inner edge of said base-plate. This base-plateis formed or provided upon its upper face with a curvilinear `iiange or wall, 6, having a short straight 8 5 portion, 7, toward its outer end, said iiange or wall forming the stationary portion of the type channel. A correspondingly shaped flange or wall, 8, is also arranged upon said base-plate and alongside of the stationary oo flange or wall, and is provided with a horizontal extension or foot, 9, which radiates from a suitable point on it-s concave side. This eX- tension or foot is formed with two or more slots, 10 and l1, arranged in a radial line to 95 the curve of the type-channel, through one of which, l0, a set-screw, l2, passes into the baseplate, while a stud or pin, 13, projects from .said base-plate and passes through the other slot, l l. 1 oo vA flaring or concaved and convergent typereceiving mouth-piece, 14, is secured or form ed at the end of the type-channel, consisting of the rigid and movable curved walls, and is formed with a flaring wing or lip, 15, eXtending inthe direction of the type-case, and with an inlet-opening, 16, at its opposite end, or at the point toward which the concavity of said mouth-piece converges. The bottom of said mouth-piece is formed with an incline or bevel, 17, leading to the inlet-opening 1G, and with a vertical wall, 18, below said incline or bevel, bot-h the bevel and wall being at the inner end of the type-channel. The mouth-piece is also formed with a iiat and vertical abutting face, 19, at one side of the opening 16, and a laterally-projecting lip, 20, formed upon the adjustable iiange or wall, 8, bears against this abutting face.

A screw or post, 21, is screwed with its lower end into the base-plate, is arranged concentric with the curved portions of the walls of the type-channel, and is surrounded by a sleeve, 22, which forms a support for the apertured end of the arm 23 of the follower 23', the said apertured end fitting and turning upon the reduced upper portion, 24C, of said sleeve. The apertured end of said follower-arm' is retained upon the reduced portion of said sleeve by a collar lor flange, 25, upon the screw or post bearing against the upper side of said arm. The head 2G of the post or screw has one end of a coiled spring, 27, secured in a perforation, 2S, therein, and said spring has its free hooked end 20 secured to and bearing against a pin or stud, 30, Aupon the arm of the follower. The follower 23 slides within the type-channel, and is forced toward the vertical wall 1S of the mouth-piece by the spring 27, which is fastened, as stated, to the screw or post and follower-arm.

The adjustable inner wall, S, of the typechannel is formed in its straight portion 31 with a vertical slot or aperture, 32, which is beveled on its inner side, and forms a continuationy of the curve of said wall. This slot admits of the follower being swung out of the type-channel, so that the type therein maybe slidden out through the straight portion of the same. For the purpose of guiding the type through this vstraight portion of the channel and preventing them from passing out through said slot, a guide finger or bar, 33, projects over said slot from the outer side thereof, and is arranged parallel with the upper edge of the straight portion of the adjustable wall of said channel and sufficiently above the saine to admit of the follower-arm passing thereunder.

In practice the composing-stick is secured upon the case at the middle of the front edge of the same, and thus the hand of the compositor will be relieved of all incumbrance and weight, and he can pick up and set type with both hands. After turning the nic'l.` of cach typo lo its proper position, to the left,

the foot l.thereof will be inserted into the mouth-piece, which will guide it into the channel, the incline or bevel in the bottom ot' said mouth-piece directing the foot of the type' down between the vertical wall and the follower, which will hold said type in proper position. The line of type as it is set up will gradually force the follower outward until it arrives at the vertical slot in the inner wall of the type-channel, when said follower will move out through said slot and admit of the line of type being slidden out at the open end of the channel into an ordinary composing-stick, galley, or other suitable receptacle capable of holding a set line of type. In placing a type in the -mouth-piece it is only necessary to guide its foot down the bevel or incline against the follower or type previously set and press slightly upon said type, when said follower will straighten up the type and hold it upright against the vertical wall. For sliding the line of type out of the type-channel, the guide finger or bar 33, which is above the upper edge of the adjustable wall, is arranged sufficiently low to bear against the sides of the type near their upper ends, land for 4t-his reason the type-channel is made of a depth somewhat less than the height of the type.

The inner wall of the type-channel may be adjusted toward and from the rigid or outer wall by loosening the set-screw 12 and sliding the extension or foot 9 of said inner wall over said screw and the stud 13 and again turning the set-screw down, and thus type of varying sizes maybe set in the channel. During these adjustments the laterally-bent end or lip 20 of the movable wall will at all times form close connection with the vertical abutting face 19 of the mouth-piece.

The type-channel is preferably curved, as shown and described, from the fact that it ocvcupies less space than a straight channel, that it will deliver a line of type more conveniently to a galley or other receptacle, and that on account of its present shape it is better adapted for the application of a convenient springactuated follower; but, as is obvious, said chaunel may be made straight and provided with a suitable spring-actuated follower, but which of course could not be pivotally supported upon a rigid center, as in the present construction. The shape of the mouth-piece may also be varied; but that shown and described is regarded as preferable; also, other minor changes in the details of arrangement and construction may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the compositor can pick up and set type with both hands and look at the copy at the same time;` that he will avoid the necessity of holding the type with the thumb of the left hand, as is necessary in setting type in the common stick, the follower in this device taking the place of said thumb, and that, boing thus enabled to pick up and set IOO IIO

the type with both hands, he can perform nearly twice as much work as with the common stick. The type will always be held in proper line in the channel and cannot be disturbed or thrown down by any ordinary push or concussion; also, as the device is not held in the hand, but is secured to the typecase, there is not as much liability to pieing the type while it is being set up as there is in the ordinar)7 compositors stick, which is held in the hand. An instance of marked utility in this device resides in the fact that a one-armed compositorsomethin g unheard of with the ordinary style of stickcan with this stick set almost as much type as can a two-armed compositor using the cornmon stick, so that the loss of an arm to acompositor, which with the old-style stick would incapacitate him from working at his trade, will with this stick be less of' a calamity and will not totally disable him from following' his trade.

Having thus fully described the construction and arrangement or combination of the several parts of our invention, its operation, and advantages, what we claim as new isl. In a composing-stick, the combination, with a base-plate provided with means for securing it to a printers case, and formed with a channel for supporting` a row of type, of' a flaring type-receivingmouth-piece at the end of said channel for guiding the type into said channel, substantially as described.

2. In a composing-stick, the combination, with a base-plate provided with means for securing it to a printers case, and formed with a type-channel for supporting a line of type, of a Iiarin g type-receiving mouth-piece arranged at the end of said channel, and a yielding and movable follower arranged in said channel for supporting the outer end of' said line of type, substantially as described.

2:3. In a composing-stick, the combination of a type-channel, a spring-actuated movable follower fitted therein, and a concaved mouthpiece having its end converging to an inletopening which registers with the end of said type-channel, and formed with a vertical wall opposite the inner end of' said channel, substantially as described.

l. In a composing-stick, the combination of a base-plate provided with a mouth-piece having an inlet-opening, with a partly-curved rigid flange or wall and with a stud or pin, a correspondingly-curved movable flange or wall provided with an extension or foot which projects horizontally from its concave side and is formed with two slots arranged in a radial line to the curve of the type-channel, one of which slides over said stud or pin, a set-screw which projects through the other slot into said base-plate and acts to adjust ably hold said movable wall, and a springactuated follower fitted in the type-channel formed by said rigid and movable walls, substantially as described.

5. In a composing-stick, the combination of a partly-curved type-channel, a concaved mouth-piece formed with an inlet-opening communicating with the inner end of said channel, with an incline or bevel along its bottom, and with a vertical wall at the lower end of said incline or bevel and opposite the inner end of said channel, and an arm concentrically pivoted with the curved Jportion of said channel, and provided with a follower on its outer end, which is fitted within said channel, and with a spring for forcing the same toward the wall of said mouth-piece, substantially as described.

(i. In a composing-stick, the combination of a partly-curved type-channel, a mouth-piece at one end thereof, which is formed with a vertical wall and with an incline or bevel in its bottom, a screw arranged concentrically with said type-channel and formed with a collar or flange and with a cylindrical head, a sleeve surrounding said screw and formed with a reduced upper end, an arm provided with an eye arranged upon the reduced end of said sleeve andsecured thereon by said collaror iiange of said screw, and provided with a follower at its outer end, which is fitted within said type-channel, and a helical spring, which is secured at one end in a perforation in the head of said screw and at the other end to a pin or stud upon said follower-arm, substantially as described.

7. A composing-stick provided with a typechannel having a general curvilinear shape, and formed of' two iianges or walls having a straight portion at one end of each and a mouth-piece at the other end, the inner wall being formed with a vertical slot or aperture in its straight portion and with a guide finger or bar n pon the upper edge of said straight portion, which projects over said slot and a short distance above the same, and with a followerarm, which is pivoted concentrically with said channel and formed with a follower fitted therein and capable of passing out through said vertical slot or aperture, substantially as described.

8. In a composing-stick, the combination of a base-plate provided with a concaved monthpiece having an inlet-opening at the converging lines Vof its sides, a fiat vertical face at one side of said opening,y and a curved rigid iiange or wall which extends from the other side of said opening, a curved flange or wall which is adjustably secured to said base-plate for regulating its distance from said rigid flange or wall, and provided with a laterallyprojecting lip which abuts against the dat face of said mouth-piece, substantially as described.

9. A com posin g-stick provided with the baseplate 2, having the generally-curved rigid wall G, having the straight portion 7 and the concaved mouth-piece la, formed with the bevel or incline 17, and the vertical wall 18, the generally-curved adjustable wall 8, having the IOO IIO

straight portion 3l,the slot or aperture 32,*nlie l In testimony whereof We affix our Signa- [o guide finger or bar 33, and the horizonml extu res in presence of two Witnesses.

tension or foot 9, formed with the slots l() :md

1l, arranged in a radial line to the curve of FRANK J. LUDINGTON.

the type-channel, the stud or piu 13, the Set- I'IENRY C. LELAND.

screw l2, the post or screw 2l, the sleeve 22,

the follower-arm 23, formed with Jche follower WTimeSSeS:

23', and' the helical spring 27, substantially as GEO. E. JUDD7 described. ALBERT J. BLAKESLEY. 

